January 10, 2019

Vietnam: Provinces take action against disease outbreaks among cattle, poultry

An outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza occurred in late December in Can Duoc District in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Long An, according to Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh, deputy director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

On December 21, as many as 400 chickens at a poultry-breeding farm in hamlet 4 in Long Son Commune showed symptoms of the disease, but the farm’s owner did not report the problem to authorities and tried to treat the animals by himself.

The disease was transmitted through the air and nearly 3,600 of 5,500 ducks at two farms nearby died on January 3.

After samples from dead ducks were found to be positive for H5N1, Can Duoc District’s People’s Committee announced that H5N1 bird flu had broken out in Long Son Commune.

The district’s People’s Committee issued a plan on disease prevention to stall the spread of the deadly flu.

Local authorities were asked to burn dead animals, spray disinfectants, carry out strict surveillance, and set up three quarantine booths to closely monitor the situation.

The province also provided H5N1 avian flu vaccines to poultry farming households and large livestock farms with 2,000 animals in affected areas and in high-risk neighbouring areas such as Long Cang, Long Hoa, Tan Trach and Phuoc Van communes.

Agencies were required to reach at least 90 per cent of H5N1 avian flu vaccine coverage in affected areas, and about 80 per cent coverage in threatened areas.

Unseasonable weather in provinces across the country could contribute to the spread of the disease in coming weeks.

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An outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza occurred in late December in Can Duoc District in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Long An, according to Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh, deputy director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

On December 21, as many as 400 chickens at a poultry-breeding farm in hamlet 4 in Long Son Commune showed symptoms of the disease, but the farm’s owner did not report the problem to authorities and tried to treat the animals by himself.

The disease was transmitted through the air and nearly 3,600 of 5,500 ducks at two farms nearby died on January 3.

After samples from dead ducks were found to be positive for H5N1, Can Duoc District’s People’s Committee announced that H5N1 bird flu had broken out in Long Son Commune.

The district’s People’s Committee issued a plan on disease prevention to stall the spread of the deadly flu.

Local authorities were asked to burn dead animals, spray disinfectants, carry out strict surveillance, and set up three quarantine booths to closely monitor the situation.

The province also provided H5N1 avian flu vaccines to poultry farming households and large livestock farms with 2,000 animals in affected areas and in high-risk neighbouring areas such as Long Cang, Long Hoa, Tan Trach and Phuoc Van communes.

Agencies were required to reach at least 90 per cent of H5N1 avian flu vaccine coverage in affected areas, and about 80 per cent coverage in threatened areas.

Unseasonable weather in provinces across the country could contribute to the spread of the disease in coming weeks.